When Waves Meet the Sand
Chapter 6: Calm Fire
Staring at the paperwork on her desk, Kumiko sighed, turning away as if that would make the nuisance go away.
Only a bedside lamp cast any concrete light in the room, darkening the bright white walls to grey and the swirls of blue and purple on the ceiling to black whirlpools.
Assorted weapons, both from the Southern Tribe and more modern ninja fare, littered the dresser and nightstand along with scrolls and weights, throwing shadows across the walls.
The desk was fairly clear in comparison, with only a stack of papers and a pen sitting innocently in one corner, taunting her.
Curling up in the thick furs piled on her bed, Kumiko closed her eyes and wished she could manage to rest, if only for a few hours.
Moonlight seemed to burn through the closed curtains, chasing away sleep, and the white-haired girl turned, pulling the furs up over her head to ward off the waxing moon’s influence.
Watching her owner’s antics from the wood floor, Fubuki stretched on her side, huffing in amusement.
“Oh, shush.” Kumiko grumbled, throwing a pillow at the canine’s head.
Giving up the fight for peaceful oblivion with a sigh, the Waterbender rolled out of bed, stepping around Fubuki on her way to the desk.
Grumbling about the unfairness of it all, she dropped heavily into the chair, leaning forward heavily on her elbows and glaring at the documents before her.
“As long as I’m up, might as well get some of this done…”
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RING! RING! RING!
Jerking awake, Kumiko looked around blearily for the offending alarm, wiping drool from her cheek.
Using a water whip to hit the snooze button, she put the water back into a nearby glass and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
Another glance at the clock had her panicking.
‘I’m gonna be late!’
Knocking over the wheeled chair in her haste, Kumiko dove for her dresser, grabbing her customary outfit and rushing to the bathroom.
Seated at the small counter in the apartment’s kitchenette, Meg looked up from heating her tea as the door was slammed shut.
‘She’s running late again.’ The Firebender observed, sipping her tea calmly.
When Kumiko burst out of the bathroom, fully dressed and braiding her long hair, Megumi grabbed an apple and Fubuki’s reins from a nearby hook and held them out for the agitated preteen.
Flashing a grateful smile, the Waterbender took the items gratefully, opening the front door and whistling sharply.
Bounding out of the far bedroom, down the little hallway, and across the living room, Fubuki flew out the door in an excited white blur.
“See you at training!” Kumiko shouted in goodbye, closing the door with a loud ‘BANG’.
Kana stumbled out of a right-hand bedroom, yawning widely and cracking her neck.
“Ya two get up way too early…” The Earthbender grumbled, plodding into the kitchen in search of an easy breakfast.
“I rise with the sun.” Megumi answered simply, sipping her tea.
“Yeah, yeah…’aven’t ‘eard ‘at one ‘fore…”
Amused by the Earthbender’s morning antics, she calmly finished her tea and stood, grabbing ‘The Art of War’ and a bento from the fridge.
“I’m going out.” Megumi informed, sword scabbard swung over her left shoulder as casually as a backpack.
“Yeah, yeah…” Kana mumbled, waving her away absentmindedly while pouring cereal into a bowl. “’Ave fun…”
Rolling her eyes, Megumi stepped outside, kicking the door closed as she scanned the street.
Turning to the right, away from the Academy and the main markets, she decided to head down the street and find a quiet place to read her book.
It took roughly an hour of searching, most of which was spent avoiding the innumerable crowds that Konoha managed to form, until the Firebender found a suitably isolated tree to sit under.
Settling down against the thick trunk, shielded from the sun’s rays by the swaying leaves, Megumi set down her bento and opened ‘The Art of War’ to the first page.
Just as she began to relax…
“What are you doing here?”
Looking up at the sudden voice, tense, Megumi spotted a boy lounging on one of the higher branches and staring up at the sky.
“Reading.” She answered simply, gold eyes narrowed. “And you?”
“Watching the clouds.” He replied lazily, rolling off and dropping down beside her in a loose crouch.
“I’m Shikamaru, by the way.” The shinobi informed, seeming disinterested.
Megumi was not fooled; there was an intensity in his dark eyes that hinted at strong curiosity, belying his nonchalance.
“Megumi.” The Firebender stated, half-smiling. “Would you like to join me? I brought a lunch.”
Shikamaru was silent for a moment, thinking over the offer, before plopping down and resuming his cloud-watching.
Taking that as a ‘yes’, the young teen placed her bento between them and returned to her book without saying a word.
Slowly, Megumi was starting to understand what it felt like to be content.
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Patting Fubuki’s neck as the massive dog panted tiredly, Kumiko led her slowly through the streets, whispering apologies for pushing so hard.
Licking the girl’s cheek in forgiveness, the Polar Bear Dog rested her head on Kumiko’s shoulder in a gesture of affection.
Giggling, the white-haired preteen scratched just behind the canine’s ear when a shout caught her attention.
“Mimi-chan!”
Waving ecstatically, an orange-wearing blonde ran towards her from up the street, his pink and black-haired teammates following at a more sedate pace.
‘He must have just gotten back from that C-ranked mission otousan gave them.’
“Konichiwa, Naruto-kun.” Kumiko greeted, smiling. “How did your mission go?”
“Awesome!” Naruto assured, grinning widely.
“Naruto, stop shouting!” The pink-haired kunoichi shouted, grabbing him roughly by the ear. “Gomen, Chiyo-sama! He just doesn’t know when to shut up!”
Blinking owlishly at the violent scene, Kumiko looked towards the Uchiha survivor, silently asking if she wanted to know.
He scoffed, and she figured that meant ‘no’.
“It’s alright, Sakura-chan.” Kumiko assured, gently releasing Naruto from the aforementioned girl’s death-grip. “I’m used to Naruto-kun’s yelling by now. There’s no need to hurt him.”
Flushing and stammering, Sakura complied, acting as if no one had ever objected to her actions before.
Considering Sasuke’s reaction, Kumiko had no problem believing that was the case.
“If you’ve just gotten back, I’d like to treat you to lunch and hear all about your mission.” The Waterbender offered kindly.
“Sure, Mimi-chan!” Naruto agreed quickly, practically vibrating in place from excitement. “Let’s go to Ichiraku’s! Come on!”
The three Genin watched the blonde race off, and even Fubuki huffed in amusement.
“Well, come on.” Kumiko encouraged, herding the reluctant duo towards the ramen bar. “Ki-chan wants some meat scraps, and Naruto will eat all of them if we don’t hurry.”
Only a bedside lamp cast any concrete light in the room, darkening the bright white walls to grey and the swirls of blue and purple on the ceiling to black whirlpools.
Assorted weapons, both from the Southern Tribe and more modern ninja fare, littered the dresser and nightstand along with scrolls and weights, throwing shadows across the walls.
The desk was fairly clear in comparison, with only a stack of papers and a pen sitting innocently in one corner, taunting her.
Curling up in the thick furs piled on her bed, Kumiko closed her eyes and wished she could manage to rest, if only for a few hours.
Moonlight seemed to burn through the closed curtains, chasing away sleep, and the white-haired girl turned, pulling the furs up over her head to ward off the waxing moon’s influence.
Watching her owner’s antics from the wood floor, Fubuki stretched on her side, huffing in amusement.
“Oh, shush.” Kumiko grumbled, throwing a pillow at the canine’s head.
Giving up the fight for peaceful oblivion with a sigh, the Waterbender rolled out of bed, stepping around Fubuki on her way to the desk.
Grumbling about the unfairness of it all, she dropped heavily into the chair, leaning forward heavily on her elbows and glaring at the documents before her.
“As long as I’m up, might as well get some of this done…”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RING! RING! RING!
Jerking awake, Kumiko looked around blearily for the offending alarm, wiping drool from her cheek.
Using a water whip to hit the snooze button, she put the water back into a nearby glass and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
Another glance at the clock had her panicking.
‘I’m gonna be late!’
Knocking over the wheeled chair in her haste, Kumiko dove for her dresser, grabbing her customary outfit and rushing to the bathroom.
Seated at the small counter in the apartment’s kitchenette, Meg looked up from heating her tea as the door was slammed shut.
‘She’s running late again.’ The Firebender observed, sipping her tea calmly.
When Kumiko burst out of the bathroom, fully dressed and braiding her long hair, Megumi grabbed an apple and Fubuki’s reins from a nearby hook and held them out for the agitated preteen.
Flashing a grateful smile, the Waterbender took the items gratefully, opening the front door and whistling sharply.
Bounding out of the far bedroom, down the little hallway, and across the living room, Fubuki flew out the door in an excited white blur.
“See you at training!” Kumiko shouted in goodbye, closing the door with a loud ‘BANG’.
Kana stumbled out of a right-hand bedroom, yawning widely and cracking her neck.
“Ya two get up way too early…” The Earthbender grumbled, plodding into the kitchen in search of an easy breakfast.
“I rise with the sun.” Megumi answered simply, sipping her tea.
“Yeah, yeah…’aven’t ‘eard ‘at one ‘fore…”
Amused by the Earthbender’s morning antics, she calmly finished her tea and stood, grabbing ‘The Art of War’ and a bento from the fridge.
“I’m going out.” Megumi informed, sword scabbard swung over her left shoulder as casually as a backpack.
“Yeah, yeah…” Kana mumbled, waving her away absentmindedly while pouring cereal into a bowl. “’Ave fun…”
Rolling her eyes, Megumi stepped outside, kicking the door closed as she scanned the street.
Turning to the right, away from the Academy and the main markets, she decided to head down the street and find a quiet place to read her book.
It took roughly an hour of searching, most of which was spent avoiding the innumerable crowds that Konoha managed to form, until the Firebender found a suitably isolated tree to sit under.
Settling down against the thick trunk, shielded from the sun’s rays by the swaying leaves, Megumi set down her bento and opened ‘The Art of War’ to the first page.
Just as she began to relax…
“What are you doing here?”
Looking up at the sudden voice, tense, Megumi spotted a boy lounging on one of the higher branches and staring up at the sky.
“Reading.” She answered simply, gold eyes narrowed. “And you?”
“Watching the clouds.” He replied lazily, rolling off and dropping down beside her in a loose crouch.
“I’m Shikamaru, by the way.” The shinobi informed, seeming disinterested.
Megumi was not fooled; there was an intensity in his dark eyes that hinted at strong curiosity, belying his nonchalance.
“Megumi.” The Firebender stated, half-smiling. “Would you like to join me? I brought a lunch.”
Shikamaru was silent for a moment, thinking over the offer, before plopping down and resuming his cloud-watching.
Taking that as a ‘yes’, the young teen placed her bento between them and returned to her book without saying a word.
Slowly, Megumi was starting to understand what it felt like to be content.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patting Fubuki’s neck as the massive dog panted tiredly, Kumiko led her slowly through the streets, whispering apologies for pushing so hard.
Licking the girl’s cheek in forgiveness, the Polar Bear Dog rested her head on Kumiko’s shoulder in a gesture of affection.
Giggling, the white-haired preteen scratched just behind the canine’s ear when a shout caught her attention.
“Mimi-chan!”
Waving ecstatically, an orange-wearing blonde ran towards her from up the street, his pink and black-haired teammates following at a more sedate pace.
‘He must have just gotten back from that C-ranked mission otousan gave them.’
“Konichiwa, Naruto-kun.” Kumiko greeted, smiling. “How did your mission go?”
“Awesome!” Naruto assured, grinning widely.
“Naruto, stop shouting!” The pink-haired kunoichi shouted, grabbing him roughly by the ear. “Gomen, Chiyo-sama! He just doesn’t know when to shut up!”
Blinking owlishly at the violent scene, Kumiko looked towards the Uchiha survivor, silently asking if she wanted to know.
He scoffed, and she figured that meant ‘no’.
“It’s alright, Sakura-chan.” Kumiko assured, gently releasing Naruto from the aforementioned girl’s death-grip. “I’m used to Naruto-kun’s yelling by now. There’s no need to hurt him.”
Flushing and stammering, Sakura complied, acting as if no one had ever objected to her actions before.
Considering Sasuke’s reaction, Kumiko had no problem believing that was the case.
“If you’ve just gotten back, I’d like to treat you to lunch and hear all about your mission.” The Waterbender offered kindly.
“Sure, Mimi-chan!” Naruto agreed quickly, practically vibrating in place from excitement. “Let’s go to Ichiraku’s! Come on!”
The three Genin watched the blonde race off, and even Fubuki huffed in amusement.
“Well, come on.” Kumiko encouraged, herding the reluctant duo towards the ramen bar. “Ki-chan wants some meat scraps, and Naruto will eat all of them if we don’t hurry.”